


My Father, My Friend

by UnsteadyGenius



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Drinking to Cope, Gen, Heavy Drinking, Language, Loss of Parent(s), Rage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 16:15:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10597629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsteadyGenius/pseuds/UnsteadyGenius
Summary: Gladio tries to cope and deal with the loss of his father after the Fall of Insomnia





	

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: I felt like Gladio got the short end of the stick when it came to everything with Insomnia and his father. He deserved much more in the way of us getting to see how he felt and everything that happened behind the scenes with him. So here was my version of what happened and how he dealt with it :)
> 
> Plus, I feel bad that I updated Water Under the Bridge so soon last week and didn't have anything for Sunday, so hopefully this will hold everyone over :)

**My Father, My Friend**

_We're sorry. You're call cannot be comp—_

I pressed the 'END' button on the call and redialed again, only to hear the same cheerful voice telling me my call wouldn't go through. I couldn't think straight. No one was picking up. I tried Iris, I tried my mom, I tried my dad, hell I even tried Monica. No one was answering their Goddamn phones and it was slowly driving me insane.

I was thoroughly soaked as the rain continued to pelt us with fat drops. Mud caked our shoes from the hike up here, careful not to slip and fall along the way. The water between us and the other land mass just ahead was rough with waves as they crashed angrily against the cliffside.

The four of us stood just outside of Hammerhead overlooking the invasion of our home, Insomnia. Fleet after fleet of Imperial ships flew in, dropping bombs and shooting relentlessly at the city. It was too much. My head hurt trying to comprehend all of it. It was a nightmare and I wanted to wake up. Where the fuck was everyone?

Prompto was broadcasting the news from his phone and I urged him to turn the volume up. I imagined the civilian casualties were somewhat high, but there was no way the Kingsglaive or the Crownsguard—and my dad—would allow harm to befall the King. Noct's dad. No way. They must have gone into hiding. That's why dad wasn't picking up his phone. That bunker was notorious for having bad cell phone reception.

I started to press the redial button, going through the motions again of dialing for my mom, my dad, and Iris, but the broadcast stopped me. My stomach went cold.

Did I hear that right?

The King was dead? The Oracle, dead? Noct? Dead?

How could that be? Noctis was standing right next to me. This was a huge misunderstanding.

Prompto dropped his phone and Noctis yelled for him to leave it, but Ignis knelt down to pick it up anyway. We all had been trying to call our families for hours now and no one was answering. Ignis tried his uncle's cell, Prompto texted his parents, but Noct was the first one to get through to anyone with Cor.

Great. The Marshal would have good news.

But he didn't. I could tell by the way Noct's fist balled by his side and how he yelled through his clenched teeth. I tried to get a good look at his face, hoping his expression would tell me more. All it did was reaffirm what we already knew.

When Noctis hung up, Ignis asked him what the Marshal wanted and Noct didn't answer. I felt the bile rise in throat and I was lightheaded. I numbly thumbed the green phone icon on my phone and tried the numbers again.

Please, for the love of the Astrals, _someone_ pick up.

"Gladio . . ." Ignis started to say something to me and I looked over my shoulder at him. He was scrolling furiously through his phone and stopped suddenly. His face reflected what could only be bad news.

"What is it?" I asked, but I really didn't want to know. I think I knew the whole time.

Ignis looked at me over the top of his glasses and I was aware that Prompto had gone to Noct's side, a hand resting on his shoulder as they whispered back and forth with Noct on the verge of tears. I took a step, and then another, toward Ignis. I think he saw my apprehension. _Fucking get it over with,_ I thought as I unintentionally directed my anger at my long-time best friend. I couldn't help it.

"Some of the bodies have been identified," he murmured, turning his attention back to his phone as he zoomed in on some article and then looked back at me. He didn't need to say anything else. His eyes said it all.

I stiffened. "Well . . . ah . . . is . . . are my . . . is Iris . . ."

Ignis shook his head. "Iris is still missing. A lot of the citizens managed to flee, so there is hope."

I wanted to fall to the ground. My legs suddenly felt too weak to hold me up. Prompto kept looking back at me and I wanted to tell him to take a damn picture, that it'd last longer, but that was me just projecting my anger on everyone else. It was my nature and I wasn't proud of it, but I couldn't help but lash out when I was sad or angry or whatever other assortment of bad emotions there were.

"Let's get back to Hammerhead. It's not doing us any good standing here while the enemy flies overhead," Ignis said, turning on his heels and heading back down the pathway to where we parked the Regalia. Noctis shrugged off Prompto's hand and Prompto followed behind. I took one last look at Insomnia, willing my dad's number to appear on my phone's screen.  
  


* * *

  
When I was 4, my dad taught me to ride a bike without training wheels.

When I was 12, he watched me hit my first home run in baseball and cheered the loudest of all the parents.

When I was 16, he grounded me and then lectured me for hours after I stumbled home, drunk, from a high school party I snuck off to. He told me he 'wasn't mad, just disappointed.' I _hated_ that. I never snuck out after that.

When I was 23, I gave my dad a hug and said that I'd see him later as we all set off for Altissia, escorting Noctis to his impending wedding. He told me how proud he was of me as I laughed off the compliment and hoisted my duffle bag over my shoulder.

I wonder if my dad knew what was going to happen or if he knew that would be the last time we'd see each other.

It had barely been a few days since the fall of Insomnia. All I got from Iris was a single text that said, "I'm safe". She fled with Monica to Lestallum, but that was all I knew. Iris wasn't hurt, from what I understood, but she was definitely shaken. We'd make our way to Lestallum shortly, but we had to be discreet with the new Imperial blockades and the numerous airships on the hunt for survivors. For us. For Noct, because they knew Noct was alive. How on Eos could they release that fucking statement saying he was dead when they didn't even have so much as a body for him? That's government, for you, I guess.

Reports showed that Titus Drautos betrayed the kingdom. That fucking cock-sucking weasel. If I could get my bare hands on him right now, I would wring his Goddamn next so hard and fast . . .

Well, it wasn't _just_ him that brought Insomnia to its knees, but I digress.

We all tried to go on as if life was normal and everything was ok. We didn't talk about our losses. Ignis' uncle. Prompto's family. Noctis and his . . . well . . . everything. We joked like nothing changed and we carried on everyday living like there wasn't a dark cloud looming over our heads. This whole disaster was one big joke to us. It was the only way we could cope. We were barely in our 20's and already we'd lived a thousand lives.

I stared lazily at the bottom of the top bunk inside the caravan where we were staying for a few days, my right hand under my head and my left hand settled on my stomach. Prompto and Noct were yelling at each other about their high scores on King's Knight and Ignis shushed them, complaining of a migraine as he tried to read up on the news of the day.

I couldn't read the news anymore. It made me angry every time I saw a new headline about Insomnia. The casualties kept growing. Some names I knew, some I didn't. I finally had enough and told Ignis as such. He understood. He was always the more disciplined and reasonable of the four of us. Matters like this he could compartmentalize much better than we could. It was who he was.

I heard Ignis mention something about leaving the next day for Lestallum. We could chance it and leave tonight, but we didn't want to take a chance with a bad batch of daemons on the road. So we'd wait and head out in the morning.

I felt around and found my phone by my pillow. I sent Iris another text saying we'd be on our way in the morning. I'd sent her a dozen texts over the last few days and I'm sure she was so sick of me by now, but I'm the big brother. I needed her in my life. She was my only family now.

Now that my dad . . . well . . .  
  


* * *

  
I couldn't see straight. I had a handle of whiskey in my hand that I snatched up from the local liquor store in the heart of Lestallum. Everyone else had gone out for dinner and I declined the invite to join them. I needed to be alone.

I continued to drink straight from the bottle, slowly at first and then faster and faster the drunker I got. The grief was too much for me anymore. Earlier, I saw a news site blast photo after photo of the carnage within Insomnia. Some of the pictures were the same ones I'd seen earlier and others were new. All of them were wildly inappropriate to post, but whatever—those sites have to get their money somehow, so what better than to sensationalize everything with headless bodies and lifeless eyes? That's the way to do it.

But there was one picture I hadn't noticed before and I couldn't help myself, but I looked. There, five pictures down, I saw him.

Dad.

My dad.

Pinned to the fucking wall like some ragdoll with his sword skewered right through his body through his back.

Blood stained the stone underneath and he was slumped to the side and I'm pretty sure I could see the side of his head bashed in and brain matter smeared from where he was forcefully slammed against the wall, but it was him. I knew my dad anywhere.

I'd flung my phone away and jumped over the bed to the bathroom, throwing myself over the toilet and spewing the day's food into the bowl. I couldn't stop retching and heaving and I think, after a while, I finally started throwing up just stomach acid. My nose ran and I clenched my eyes shut until I thought I couldn't possibly throw up anymore. It hurt so bad. I stayed slung over the toilet for the next hour or so before I found the strength to move. I found the toilet handle and flushed the contents of my stomach away, but I didn't bother to get up and brush my teeth.

That's how I got here. I was halfway into my bottle of whiskey and I felt numb. I knew I'd have another vomit episode later, but I'd cross that bridge when I got there. It was inevitable at the rate I was drinking, especially now on an empty stomach.

I left all the lights off and sat on the edge of my claimed bed, facing the window and watching the city lights twinkle outside. I knew my eyes were glassy and I rocked slightly. I hated it. I hated all of it. It wasn't fucking fair. I knew as a kid, growing up, that this was the life my dad chose and this was the life I was destined to follow. The King's Shield. We'd live and die for our King. It was our birthright. But fuck if it made that pill easier to swallow.

I took another long swig of whiskey and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I knew I was beyond plastered at this point and I felt rage simmer just under the surface. To push it down, I took another gulp. Another. More. I needed more. I couldn't handle this.

The alcohol only fueled my rage and, before I knew it, I was up on my feet, screaming at the top of my lungs and throwing my almost-empty glass bottle at the wall across the room. It shattered, sending glass and whiskey flying every which way. I couldn't stop. Something snapped in me. I flipped the mattress and threw the lamp and pushed the TV off the entertainment console and knocked the desk over and punched a hole in the wall and another and another and—

"GLADIO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

My knuckles were bleeding but the ceiling lights were now on. There, in the doorway, was Prompto, Noctis, Ignis, and Iris, each looking progressively more shocked at what they stumbled into. They knew right away that I could barely focus on any of them and I swayed back and forth. "I redecorated," I joked, my words heavily slurred and a drunken laugh following right after as I gestured around the room. I almost fell over but caught myself.

I saw Iris break down into tears and cover her mouth. Ignis crossed the room and firmly grabbed my arm. He was stern. I yanked it back and pushed him away. "Get your _fucking_ hands off me, Scientia," I slurred, using his last name like a scathing remark and I saw him recoil. "I'm _fine_. I'm fine! I'm . . ."

I felt my eyes get hot and prickle with tears. I set my jaw to hold off any tears from falling, not daring to let myself cry in front of these guys. Noctis slowly made his way over to us, as if one false step would set me off again. He probably wasn't wrong. I was a loose cannon at this point.

"Gladio, dude, let's get you into the shower and grab you a big cup of water so you can start to sober up. We're not mad, alright? We know what you're going through right now. We _all_ lost someone in Insomnia. We can help you, ok?"

Behind Noct, I saw Prompto had already started to pick up the glass on the carpeted floor and Iris was still standing in the doorway, sobbing. I looked down at my hand, shredded from when I repeatedly punched the wall. Everything was blurry and I felt sick again. I think Ignis saw and he carefully placed a hand on my back and guided me to the bathroom, flipping the lid up and nudging me to sit down.

Right on cue, the whiskey came right back up and into the toilet. I knew Noct was watching from the room, but Ignis whispered something and closed the door. I just wanted to yell "fuck off", but I was too busy throwing up all the whiskey I drank to utter two words to anyone.

I heard the sink run and Ignis placed a washcloth under it, folded it, and placed it on the back of my neck as wave after wave of nausea coursed through me, unwilling to relent and give me a second's peace. He grabbed another washcloth, ran that one under the water, and proceeded to dab it lightly on my hand as I hissed at the sting of the pain. He washed the cloth and repeated, before he deemed it clean enough to bandage with some gauze found in the medicine cabinet. Noctis opened the door, thrusted a glass of water at Ignis for me, and then immediately shut the door. I refused the glass. I wasn't ready to sober up yet, or at least take the steps to do so.

I weakly looked up as he sat down against the wall, his long legs drawn close to his chest and his arms draped on his knees. I giggled. "Think we'll get kicked out? "

Ignis didn't show any emotion. "We can scrounge up the gil to pay for the damages. A few hunts and we can pay it off. Don't worry about that right now, though." Then, he pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. "Rough night?"

"Fuck off," I cursed. Ah, yes. That felt good to say.

I saw him smirk. Good ol' Ignis. Never taking anything I say to heart. He knew me better than that. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He steepled his fingers and stared at the ceiling. "Talk to me, Gladio. What's going through your head."

In the other room, I heard Noct comforting Iris and Prompto cleaning up my mess. I started to feel incredibly guilty and shameful.

I coughed and wiped the sides of my mouth with my pointer and thumb fingers. I squinted to focus on my friend, but it didn't help. "Did you know there are pictures online? My dad is in one. Right there for the world to see. His body just right there, fixed to the damn Citadel wall like a fucking tail in a 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey' game. There's blood everywhere. _His_ blood, Ignis, and someone thought it would be a great idea to take a fucking picture of it. He . . . do you think . . ." I wanted to ask Ignis if he thought my dad suffered or had any idea what was going to happen, but I couldn't.

The dam inside me broke and I felt the tears fall and I tried to stop them but I choked as I fought to hold them back. I heaved and hiccupped as I let go and cried more than I ever had for anything in my life. I knew it was the alcohol's doing because, if I were sober, none of this would be happening. I let my head hang over the toilet, resting slightly on my forearm. Ignis stayed exactly as he did, his eyes closed as he listened to me bawl like a baby. I didn't even care if Prompto or Noctis or, hell, even Iris, heard.

"It's not fair," I wailed over and over again.

And it wasn't. It would never be.  
  


* * *

  
Ten years and a few months later, I pulled nervously at my shirt as I crossed the new Citadel cemetery. The sun was beautiful in the sky; light was finally restored to Eos after ten years of miserable darkness. It was so hard to reconcile with the fact that we got our light back, but at the cost of our King. King Noctis.

I stopped by earlier to see his monument and talked with him for a bit. I told him I was going to see my dad. I knew Noct would like that.

So here I was, my fiance waiting for me back in the car. I told her I needed to do this alone and she kissed the back of my hand reassuringly before I got out and made the trek up the hill where the fallen Kingsglaive and Crownsguard soldiers were laid to rest.

My hands were shoved into my pockets and I walked the path where I knew him to be.

There he was.

My breath caught in my throat.

I took a few more steps and slowly knelt down, brushing my hand over his tombstone.

I sighed, my breath shaky. "Hey . . . dad. Long time no talk, right?" I chuckled nervously, but it didn't hide the prick of tears as they started to form in my eyes. "I'm . . . I'm really sorry it took me so long to get here. I'm sure you understand, you know, with us having to save the world and all. But I'm here."

I moved from kneeling into a sitting position, throwing a glance over my shoulder to make sure my fiancé was still ok in the car. She was watching me and her smile gave me the strength to continue. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Anyway . . . ha . . . yeah. So, I'm getting married in a few days. Did you ever think that would happen? I sure as hell didn't. Thought I would be a bachelor for the rest of my life, but she's wonderful, dad. She was the bartender in Lestallum. We didn't plan on ever getting serious, but I guess life has a funny way of working out, huh?"

I smiled. "We just found out we're expecting." My smile grew bigger the more I thought about this. "Can you believe it? Me? A dad? Hell, I never thought I'd live to see 30 with the way things were going before. But here I am, about to be a dad. And a husband. And . . ." I took a deep breath as another tear fell. ". . .I hate that you aren't here to see it all. It's so hard, and I know you're watching me every day, but it's not the same . . . and I pray everyday I can be at least half the man you were. "

I ran my hand over the stone again, tracing my dad's name absentmindedly. "I really miss you, dad. More than you'll ever know."

And I started to tell him everything that happened from the day we said goodbye in Insomnia.


End file.
